Fans Ponder Why the Jedi Had To Leave Shmi Skywalker in Slavery on Tatooine

Star Wars: Phantom Menace Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s unexpected visit to Tatooine lays the foundation for the Skywalker saga as it changes the course of galactic history. Most of this focuses on the young Anakin Skywalker, who the two quickly find to be very force-sensitive.

Anakin was too old to begin his Jedi training, but Anakin rescued him from slavery and took him to Coruscant, where he lived through the fall of the Galactic Republic, the birth of Luke and Leia, and the rise of Darth Vader. It set off a chain of events that connected. But there was one key choice that could have changed everything. It is Anakin’s mother Shmi’s decision to leave her Skywalker behind.

It turns out that this has serious consequences. Shmi’s fate tormented Anakin, and he worried about his mother’s condition. When he finally tried to save her, he discovered that she had been tortured to death by Tusken Raiders. He took bloody revenge against him and truly embraced the dark side for the first time.

now r/StarWars fan I’m asking why the Jedi couldn’t take Shumi with them. Shmi and Anakin would have had to stay apart during their Jedi training, but couldn’t they find a safe haven on a nearby planet?

The reply points out that Shmi had simply implanted a bomb in her that prevented her from being flown, but given that the Jedi apparently have infinite resources, they could buy her. A counterargument to that is fans pointing out that Shmi did not remain a slave for long afterward. Phantom MenaceCliegg Lars released her from Watto and then married her.

But perhaps the biggest point is that the Jedi’s treatment of Shmi is proof that the Order isn’t necessarily all suns and roses. It is absurd to separate children from their families permanently and not expect them to suffer emotional damage.

That would be an interesting “What If…?” Find out what would have happened if the Jedi had taken Shmi with them. We believe the galaxy will be a much more peaceful place.